


Firsts

by straeon



Category: Once Upon A Time - Fandom, Sleeping Warrior - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-17 12:15:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3529055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/straeon/pseuds/straeon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For Sleeping Warrior Week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Firsts

The first time Aurora felt it she was with Phillip, heavily pregnant and trying to be his loving wife.

_Where was Mulan?_ She wondered as she looked backat where she had last seen her – where she had held her close thenwatched her walk away from her. Had she walked out of her life forever? Was it the last time she’d see someone who had been so important to her, who had been her bodyguard, her companion and her _friend_ through so many tough times? With so much that seemed unsaid in the air between them when Mulan left.

But Aurora hadn’t thought that would be the last time she saw Mulan. Now it had been months and she was for the first time genuinely worried about her. She’d missed her since she left. For so long, Mulan had been the only other person in her life. Even when it wasn’t just her, Mulan was the most important. So of course she missed her and of course she had to get used to her absence – but she didn’t get used to it, she only missed her _more_ as the days went by.

Mulan had protected her. She’d fought off attackers. She’d given Aurora her heart back and then she helped her to get her Prince back. If anyone could take care of herself, it was Mulan, unlike the lonely princess who Mulan had taken it upon herself to protect with her life.

When they found Phillip, he told her about the adventures they had been on together. What Mulan had fought through was amazing, even intimidating to Aurora who had had so many people do things for her in her life. But Mulan had quietly reassured her then, of how she knew how brave Aurora had been. When she saw herself through Mulan’s eyes, Aurora was proud of herself too.

Phillip was talking about some duties he had to leave to carry out. Aurora kissed him on the cheek and gave him a smile goodbye. As soon as nobody’s eyes were on her any more, she bowed her head and closed her eyes.

If Aurora missed Mulan’s presence so much, what if Mulan missed hers as well? What if Mulan also didn’t now know what to do with herself now that she was alone?

Mulan could take care of herself against any attackers but Aurora worried that she was alone and as lonely as she was, which of course Aurora cursed herself for. She had a family. But it felt empty.

 

When Aurora felt her son in her arms, it was like nothing she had felt before. Days passed where all she cared about was him, baby Phillip. This was a family. She and him. He also had his father but, it didn’t feel like a family with her husband any more.

Every first she had with baby Phillip was bittersweet. The love she felt for him and the pride at every little thing he learned was overpowering. But she wished Mulan was here to share this with her, to share her happiness and share her love.

For the first time, she saw with clarity the love she felt. Her love for her son. Her love for her husband. It was still there; she loved him and cared about him. But it was a very different love to what she had once felt for him. He was a friend, he was her family but she didn’t love him as her husband. She’d wanted to pass it off as the effect of having the baby – which she knew Phillip was also hoping it was, though he didn’t speak of it – but it wasn’t that.

For the first time, Aurora knew that the love she felt for Mulan was her true love.

 

The first time she told Phillip was emotional. It was heartbreaking for them both to admit they’d lost what they once had.

But he didn’t resent her. The truth was, he missed Mulan too – she had been his best friend and _his_ companion too.

So together they searched for her, like Mulan and Aurora had once searched for Phillip’s soul. If she needed to be saved, they would save her.

 

The first time she saw her face again, it felt like everything was right again. The relief she felt that she was alright stunned her for a moment, as she stared into Mulan’s eyes, which stared back into hers. Aurora hadn’t known if she could ever feel this happiness again, this complete contentment with her whole life, to have everything back into place. But that was exactly how it felt to have Mulan back in her life.

Aurora ran to her and wrapped her arms around her for the first time in their new life together. Like the last time they’d touched, she held her close with her head against Mulan’s hair. It lasted as long as it took for Aurora to truly believe it was her, to feel the silky black hair, the firm arms which held her back, the smell of flowers which she’d always loved, from the first day she met a woman warrior who intimidated her in every way, but who smelt like flowers.

When she pulled away, it was to hold Mulan’s face in her hands, never wanting to let her go as she studied her beautiful dark brown eyes, her wide smile and how her glistening cheeks dimpled. How her face glistened. Was this the first time she saw Mulan cry?

Not once had Aurora worried if Mulan would love her back when they found her. She had just needed to know where she was, if she was okay, to have her back in her life – and to have her back in her arms would be everything she could ever hope for.

But Aurora knew instantly that Mulan loved her. She knew love when she saw it. Or so she had thought but the way Mulan looked at her, as if she held a star in her hands, was how Mulan had looked at her for so long. Mulan loved her now and had loved her the last time they held each other.

“Oh, Mulan,” Aurora sobbed, pressing her forehead against hers.

“I missed you, Aurora” Mulan whispered.

“Then why,” Aurora looked her in the eyes intensely. “Why did you leave me?”

“I thought it’d be what you wanted. What you and Phillip wanted,” Mulan said, a tear falling down her cheek as she spoke.

“What I wanted was you,” Aurora admitted, finally.

“I – I’ve wanted to hear you say that for so long,” Mulan said.

“You might’ve heard it sooner if you’d come back to me,” Aurora said, laughing through her tears.

“I won’t leave you again,” Mulan said.

And for the first time, finally, she pulled Aurora against her, with her mouth on her perfectly soft lips as their bodies seemed to fit together so perfectly that it seemed wrong that they could ever be apart. Like Aurora had dreamed of doing for so many lonely months, she held Mulan’s face and kissed her back, messily, passionately, savouring every moment and every touch of her first kiss with her true love.


End file.
